Fighting in World War II required wide variety of war materials including huge numbers of ships, tanks, aircraft, and weapons, in addition to ordinary things like food, clothing, and medicines. To meet this requirements many countries built many plants to manufacture war goods and turned old factories into war plants. For example, the Rolls Royce car factory was used to produce aircraft engines.
United States hugely increased its output multifold. It produced 60,000 aircraft during 1942 and 86,000 in 1943, which was earlier believed to be impossible to achieve. Major improvements were made in operations and management of factories. This not increased production and reduced the production lead-time. For example, time needed to build an aircraft was reduced from 36 months in 1941 to 15 months in 1945. In spite of frequent damage to its factories Britain also maintained and even increased its output during World War II.
Sourcing of material from nations such as Canada and Australia increased substantially. Similarly Great Britain started sourcing industrial material from its colonies like India, reversing their policy of discouraging industrial development of these countries.
Because of the shortage of manpower created by men fighting in the war, women joined the labour force and occupied many positions previously held only by men. They worked in farming and many different industries including shipyards and aircraft factories and filled many jobs previously held only by men. Employment of women was particularly common as drivers, nurses, firewatchers, and air raid wardens.
Also government in all countries increased their control over Government controls over civilian life including factory production, ensuring that maximum productive capacity was directed towards war efforts. The shortages created for supplied of food and other item because of reduced non military production was managed using different schemes of rationing.
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